Lawyers in Nigeria are expressing concern over calls for the resignation of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu. The lawyers are urging the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to intervene following claims that Yakubu engaged in corrupt practices and accepted bribes during the 2023 general elections. According to the lawyers, this move is being championed by a group called the United Nigeria in Diaspora (UND), which they describe as a faceless group without any means of identification or address.
Despite criticism for declaring Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, the Consortium of Nigerian Lawyers (CNL) has passed a vote of confidence on Yakubu. The CNL has condemned calls for his resignation and sack following the outcome of the election. Critics of Yakubu claim he sabotaged the system to allow the results to be changed in favor of Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. However, INEC has denied these claims and maintained that any system failure was only a technical glitch.
The lawyers have called for an investigation into the matter and urged the British High Commissioner in Nigeria to engage the relevant Nigerian authorities to bring to book those spreading false information about the INEC boss. They have also called for clarification on the allegations made against Yakubu.